The field gun competition was held annually at the Royal Tournament in London from 1907 to 1999, and was contested by teams from the Royal Navy. After the demise of the Royal Tournament, the Brickwoods field gun competition was revived as a naval contest: it was won for the first time by an Army team (from 7 Air Assault Battalion REME) in June 2005. The run is also performed annually by the pupils of Wellington College, the Berkshire public school. The Grand Military Tournament and Assault at Arms was held at the Agricultural Hall Islington from 21st to 26th June 1880. ... The Royal Navy of the United Kingdom is the senior service of the British armed services, being the oldest of its three branches. ...

The origins of the field gun competition lie in the Boer War in South Africa. The legendary story tells of the siege of the British garrison in the township of Ladysmith in 1899. In support of the Army, the Royal Navy landed guns from HMS Terrible and HMS Powerful to help in the relief of the siege. The Naval Brigade transported guns over difficult terrain and brought them into action against the Boers. Boer guerrillas during the Second Boer War There were two Boer wars, one from December 16, 1880-March 23, 1881 and the second from October 11, 1899-May 31, 1902 both between the British and the settlers of Dutch, French and German origin (called Boers, Afrikaners or Voortrekkers) in South... For the Boston area punk band see Siege (band). ... The term township generally means the district or area associated with a town. ... Ladysmith is the name of several places: in Canada: Ladysmith, British Columbia in the United States: Ladysmith, Wisconsin in South Africa: Ladysmith, South Africa Siege of Ladysmith, 1900 Ladismith This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Army (from French armée) can, in some countries, refer to any armed force (for example, the Peoples Liberation Army of China consists of ground force, navy and air force branches). ... A small cast-iron cannon on a carriage A cannon is any large tubular firearm designed to fire a heavy projectile over a considerable distance. ... Eight vessels of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS Terrible: Terrible (1694), 26-gun sixth-rate Terrible (1730), 14-gun bomb vessel Terrible (1747), 74-gun third-rate captured from the French Terrible (1762), 74-gun third-rate Terrible (1785), 74-gun third-rate Terrible (1845), wooden-hulled... Multiple ships have born the name HMS Powerful. ... Boer is the Afrikaans (and Dutch) word for farmer. ...

The Royal Navy landed two 4.7 inch guns and four 12 pounder field guns. The guns were transported inland by rail and then drawn on makeshift carriages by oxen. For the final part of the journey, sailors from the Naval Brigade manhandled the guns over very difficult terrain. One story tells of sailors carrying one of the 12 pounder guns for 2 miles after one of the wheels collapsed. Mid-19th century tool for converting between different standards of the inch An inch is an Imperial and U.S. customary unit of length. ... Officially the pound is the name for at least three different units of mass: The pound (avoirdupois). ... A mile is any of several units of distance, or, in physics terminology, of length. ...

The field gun competition was contested by teams from the Royal Naval commands of Portsmouth, Devonport and the Fleet Air Arm (although teams from Chatham and the Royal Marines have also competed). At each performance of the Royal Tournament, two crews competed to transport a 12 pounder field gun and limber over a series of obstacles. This article is about the English city of Portsmouth. ... The name of Devonport has spread from the original Devonport, Devon in England to: Devonport, suburb of Auckland, New Zealand Devonport, Tasmania, Australia Devonport is now part of Plymouth and is the site of the Devonport Dockyards. ... The Fleet Air Arm is the operational group of the Royal Navy responsible for the operation of the aircraft on board their ships. ... Chatham Dockyard, located on the River Medway in Kent, England, came into existence at the time when, following the Reformation, relations with the Catholic countries of Europe had worsened, and thus requiring added defences. ... The Corps of Royal Marines, usually just known as the Royal Marines (RM), are the United Kingdoms amphibious forces and a core component of the countrys Rapid Deployment Force. ... The Grand Military Tournament and Assault at Arms was held at the Agricultural Hall Islington from 21st to 26th June 1880. ... A field gun is an artillery piece. ...

The course of the field gun competition.

From the start line in front of the Royal Box, the crews pulled the guns and limbers to the end of the arena where they turned and carried themselves and the equipment over a 5 foot wall. The guns and limbers were then dismantled and carried to the top of a ramp on the "home side" of a 28 ft "chasm". The crew set up a wire and traveller so all 18 members of the crew and their equipment could cross the chasm. The team and equipment then passed through a hole in the "enemy wall" at the end of the arena. Each crew then fires three rounds to end the "Run Out". The average time for the "Run Out" was 85 seconds. Image File history File links Royal Navy Field Gun Competition - Royal Tournament File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... Image File history File links Royal Navy Field Gun Competition - Royal Tournament File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... A foot (plural: feet) is a non-SI unit of distance or length, measuring around a third of a metre. ...

The second part of the competition (the "Run Back") involved the crews taking all their equipment back over the 5 ft enemy wall and then back across the chasm. Once all the crew and equipment were back on the home side of the chasm, the wire and traveller were dismantled and three more rounds were fired in a rear guard action. The average time for the "Run Back" was 60 seconds.

In the final stage, the "Run Home", men, guns and limbers passed back through the hole in the home wall and then the teams "hook up and pull for home". The clock was stopped as the teams crossed back over the start line. The average time for the "Run Home" was 21 seconds.

External links

• Portsmouth Field Gun Association
• Devonport Field Gun Association
• Fleet Air Arm Field Gun Association
• Portsmouth Action Field Gun 2001
• Field Gun - A Century of History
• Field gun runs (Royal Naval Museum, Information Sheet No. 28)